Mother of bike-crash victim in charity plea

By Di Digard

‘Top lad’ Ben Davies, seen here in a picture taken by his mother Carol last Christmas. (0629487)

A GRIEVING mother is asking islanders to get behind a new charity that will help young men in difficulty.
Carol Healy was devastated when her son, Ben Davies, died on 8 August in an accident only metres from his Rue du Longfrie home.
The 25-year-old, described by friends as a ‘top lad’, had been riding his beloved Honda motorcycle when it was in collision with a car.
Now, Mrs Healy is asking people to join a round-island ride in his memory to raise funds for The Caritas Community Charitable Trust.
With Andy Priaulx as its patron, the trust aims to set up a community in which young people in distress or need can turn their lives around, learn new skills and regain their self-esteem.
One of its trustees is the Rev. Richard Bellinger, who will conduct Ben’s funeral service on Tuesday at 2pm at St Martin’s Church.

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‘After Ben died, his friends came round and we drank copious quantities of tea and talked and talked,’ explained Mrs Healy.
‘They came up with the idea of doing a bike ride for Ben and I thought, “That’s a great idea”. When Richard mentioned the charity, it seemed a perfect choice. I knew Ben would identify with it quite strongly and I thought, “We’ve got to do some good. Some good has to come out of this”.’
She described her son as ‘a lovely boy, reflective, sensitive and deep-thinking’.
‘He was very analytical.
‘I know he found various parts of his life painful and difficult to understand.
‘I know he felt that pain.
‘But Ben had the support of a loving family and he appreciated that. He knew that it’s the family unit and the caring that get you through. That’s how he would identify with this. That’s why I instantly thought, “Yes”.’
The ride is being planned for 7 September and is open to people with transport of any kind: ‘Anything that moves,’ said Mrs Healy.
‘I shall be riding my recumbent trike,’ promised the Rev. Bellinger.
Mrs Healy believes that the Caritas initiative is something the island badly needs.
‘People see Guernsey as an affluent society and think we don’t have the same problems as the UK, but we do. Boys are not allowed to show weakness in the public eye. It’s so competitive for them out there: they’ve got to be hard, macho.
‘I’m sure that leads to half the problems such as the knife culture in the UK at the moment and gun warfare.’
The trust is in the process of identifying an ideal property and a substantial sum has already been offered towards the development of the project.
It is also seeking others who would like to sponsor the fund or arrange charity functions to benefit it.
Mrs Healy, who now lives in Nottinghamshire, is a former member of morris dancing team Belles and Broomsticks.
‘Any teams I’m involved in will be dancing for it,’ she pledged, adding that a musical event was also a possibility.
‘Ben loved his music. That was a big part of his life, along with Hondas.
‘He’d just finished re-building his trials bike, the one he had the accident on. He was always up to his ears in old motorbikes and bits.’
Ben was Mrs Healy’s only child.
‘I’m coping – just about – by staying busy,’ she said.
‘Organising the ride has helped to provide a glimmer of light in the darkness.
‘If I can be strong enough to do this, I hope other people will get on board too.’